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2010-08-21: Reverse Polarity
Title: Reverse Polarity Summary: Magneto and Zandra meet to discuss her involvement with the Brotherhood. Location:A Beach in NY Participants: Zandra and Magneto Rating: Rated G It is late, just past dusk and Zandra is once again on the beach where she had that fateful first meeting. Since then she's done a lot of thinking! And a lot of investigating as well. As she waits for the mysterious Magneto to once again appear she's doing a bit of treasure hunting. She pauses and glances down, she holds her hand out and pulls. Out from a few feet of sand a ring is ripped out of the sand. "Sweet.. this one looks good.." she murmurs to herself. Magneto has been coming back to the beach on a fairly regular basis, waiting to hear back from Zandra. As he sees (and feels) her on the beach again, he grins widely and makes his way towards where the disturbance in the electro-magnetic field seems to be pulsating from. As he near, he lets his presence be known by speaking: not that Zan can't feel him as well. "Ms. Thorne. Excellent to see you again, I was beginning to think that you were avoiding me." Zandra looks up and pockets the ring. It's a man's piece and far too big for her fingers. She can't wait to sell it! "Not at all.. " she says, smiling back. "It just took a lot of time to do the research I needed to do.. and well, college is a handful on it's own. I am sorry for making you wait... that wasn't my intention." she says carefully. If Magneto took any offense, he is very good at not showing it, merely grinning and shaking his head. "We're all busy, including myself," he tells her before he starts to wander along the beach. "Find any treasures this evening? And find anything worthwhile in all you research?" he asks, sounding just as casual for either question. Zandra nods and shows him the ring. "Some pocket money worthy tokens. " she says. ".. and I did find some things.. question worthy." she says, watching him. "I understand your desire to protect mutants.. but I'm not quite sure I understand the reasoning behind some of the actions your group has taken.. " she asks quietly. Magneto doesn't look shocked by the question, though his lips do tighten his smile out some. He nods his head slightly. "It can be...hard sometimes to understand. We've been trained to always see violence as a last resort, a unfortunate consequence for desperation." He shakes his head. "Of course, it is the powerful who always say that, who hide behind missile and guns." He glances towards Zan, his face firm and serious. "Ask any questions, nothing is sacred or off-limits." Zandra is pleased to hear his willingness to hear any question. That is always a good thing. "Violence should be a last resort.. " she says "It isn't healthy for any one." she comments. "But it can be effective.. even if it's unfortunate. " she pulls out a small note book, she's come prepared with all her thoughts! She didn't want to forget something. "So..how about you tell me about Cape Citadel.." "Violence is sometimes the only method to get what you want," Magneto says, bluntly. "Trust me, I have tried to play the pacifist, it only ends in pain." When she mentions his most infamous of works, he purses his lips in thought. "That...was a show of power. That base was built and armed aggressively once the plans for the Republic of Genosha was suggested. The Brotherhood took this as a direct threat, we reacted, disarmed them. Yes, men died, but they were soldiers; they knew the risk, and we simply fought in the war they antagonized." Zandra arches a brow. ".. What did you do before? " that interests her greatly. "What other methods have you used politically and socially? also.. what's stopping Genosha from happening? I mean, aside the whole we'd be a big fat target.. but between you and other mutants, surely they could be protected." "I was a doctor for a while," Magneto says, immediately scrunching up his nose. "Maybe that is a bit of grandiose term. I was a medic during a war, and afterwards I helped a clinic. I tried to better human relations, showing how my powers had greater uses than simply bending objects with my mind." He pauses for a second, shaking his head. "It didn't matter, the more people who learned, the more people saw me as a monster, a freak. The only friends I made were like me. I had a friend who argued we teach them by example, keeping our talents secret." He then turns his head to glance towards Zandra. "Easy for people like him and I, but what if your skin is a different color? Or your hair? Then it becomes more difficult." Zandra nods as she listens. "..it can be challenging.. " and she knows well how much of an understatement that can be. "But a lot has changed, for the better.. for a lot of peoples.. without the threat of violence, or even the use of it as a key tool. " she frowns a little "We can't really teach by example if we hide.. the only reason I don't use my powers more is because I'm alone.. and it does frighten people.. it's like waving a loaded gun around.. I can't really blame people for being scared. We make them feel helpless.. vulnerable. " she tries to explain. "They feel helpless because they fear that they've been replaced. They aren't used to being insects in the presence of Gods." Magneto pauses on the edge of the beach, gazing out thoughtfully. "No offense, Ms. Thorne, but I'm getting the impression that you're...not ready to dedicate. You wouldn't wasting my time, would you?" His tone is calm, but a layer of agitation is bubbling underneath. Zandra frowns. "You said I could ask any questions I wished. So I was. I want to understand. As much as I can." she says shaking her head. "I haven't seen what you have, never experienced it.. and God willing I won't have to. And I don't want to be responsible for pushing society closer to out right war because I didn't get all the facts." she stands her ground, as much as she can attempting not to look intimidated, (she is of course!) "That's what humans do. They act out of fear.. they don't learn from past mistakes. That is something I don't intend to do." Magneto nods his head, but remains silent for a long time. He finally turns his head to glance towards Zandra. "You seem to agree with me, but you still buy into this child's vision of this ending in anything except a war. Have you seen this information about the Friends of Humanity? The people they have in their pocket? Hundred is trying his best, but he's helplessly outnumbered and, unfortunately, his hands are tied." He pauses. "You want to know why Genosha died on the vine? Because the costs of defending ourselves, forever, would have been too high, too great for anyone, even our most powerful, to handle fully. We're powerful, but we're outnumbered and out funded. And as passionate and ruthless as I might seem, I assure you people like Hodge and Gyrich aren't any less 'fanatical' than I. If anything, their fear enhances their hatred, and they will see the world burn before they let people like us have any true freedom." He shakes his head. "I'm not starting a war, but I am fighting in one. Until you understand that distinction, I can't believe the Brotherhood has a place for you." Zandra was a little afraid he might begin to rant, but when he doesn't she calms significantly. "Oh.. I'm pretty aware of what those idiots are doing." she smiles slyly but doesn't elaborate. "..but if we are gods Magneto.. what sort of gods shall we be? Petty and vindictive like the old Pantheons of Greece? I don't. I don't think any of us should be. " she says trying to if not change his vision, but at least offer a different point of view. "You are right.. we ARE hopelessly out numbered. Like General Custer at the Big Horn.. we might have superior firepower, but we don't have the numbers. If we make them so afraid of us because they only see us using our powers against them, they are going to find really creative ways to kill us.. Like I dunno not even camps.. Like doing genetic testing at birth." she sighs. "We need to be generous Gods. They need to see us as a boon and not a curse... so at the very least we can have enough time to have more numbers." Magneto listens to that, and sincerely does seem to take it seriously. Eventually though, he shakes his head. "Maybe I'm just getting old," he says, and he sounds it very suddenly. "I appreciate your enthusiasm and hope, admire it even. But I close my eyes, and I see my friends and family marched into the gas chambers. I hear the cries of men and women crying for the blood of me and my family, because I have been labeled an abomination. I hear the voices of politicians, calling my very DNA a threat to homeland security." He shakes his head. "I wish there was another way, anything besides having to play the role of soldier. But I am an old man, tired of fighting. Either we will finally win...or I will die in battle." Zandra equally listens to his words. She isn't so niave to think that if the right people got in charge that something like that couldn't happen again. "I don't want you to have to see that again.. or any one else see that. We won't let that happen. " she seems to believe that. "I'm not saying we shouldn't fight.. I just think we have other options than JUST swatting down the flies." she says encouragingly. "It doesn't have to be just one way, if we use multiple methods, couldn't we increase our opportunity for success.. for saving our people?" See she isn't trying to say she doesn't want to help. She wants to help.. but she isn't ready to admit being a soldier is the only way to fix it all. As Zandra speaks, Magneto begins to dig around in the pockets of his trousers, soon pulling out a small white firm stock card. He passes it over to her, waiting for her to take it before he starts to float into the air. "That's my number," he says, the card displaying the seal of Magneto and a New York City phone number. "Try it your way, tell me how it goes. If you find success, then bully for you; if you come around and see that more radical measures are needed, you know how to get in touch with me now." Oh well it was worth a try. Perhaps mutants and men aren't so different. Stubborn to the end! She sighs and takes the card. "I will.. I hope you won't take it wrong that I hope my way works better." and maybe he'll come around. The more people working on the same plan the better. But then again, hope springs eternal for the young. "As I said, I would like to think that it would to," Magneto says, speaking louder as he starts to float into the black night's sky. "But I ran out of hope a long time ago. Enjoy it while you still have it." And with that, he's gone, rocketing off towards the skyline of the city in the distance. ftb Category:Logs